Airbag restraint assemblies are generally provided with some type of cover assembly which conceals the airbag module of the assembly in an internal portion of the vehicle, e.g., in the passenger instrument panel, door panel, or the like, prior to the deployment of the airbag into the vehicle passenger compartment. The airbag cover assemblies may comprise a panel containing an integral deployment door which is caused to open during the inflation of the hidden airbag, thereby providing a doorway outlet in the panel through which the inflating airbag deploys into the vehicle passenger compartment. The panel normally includes a vinyl outer layer separated by a foam core from a metal or thermoplastic panel substrate. In order to cause the door to open, a tear region which may be delineated by tear seams is usually aligned with a tear means such as a cutter.
In order to cause the deployment door to open, the inflating force of a deploying airbag positioned behind the deployment door drives the tear means through the tear region to separate the deployment door from the rest of the panel. The door is hinged along an edge thereof or tethered to an interior vehicle substrate to prevent the release of the door into the passenger compartment. Otherwise, a released flying door might injure an occupant in the passenger compartment. However, separation of the door from the panel using a cutter means requires the cutter to pass through the foam core and the outer vinyl layer or "skin" which can cause fragmentation resulting in debris being emitted through the open deployment door into the passenger compartment, which is not desirable with respect to passenger safety and comfort.